The Hostage
by skypup
Summary: When Spencer is kidnapped and held hostage by A, Toby is forced to do whatever A wants to get her back.
1. Premonition

**A/N: Toby is not A for the purposes of this story. **

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**1. Premonition**

Toby Cavanaugh awoke from his fitful night of sleep sweaty and shaken. Sweat coated his face and his hair was plastered to his skin. His eyes flickered open, and he eased himself into a sitting position as he emerged from the nightmare that had just been haunting him.

The content of the nightmare itself had already become fuzzy and confusing, and he seemed to forget more with each passing second. He remembered two crucial things, however. First, Spencer had been in his dream, and second, he had been terrified. He brought a shaky hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, trying desperately to remember what had seemed so real moments before. Was it _he_ who had been terrified, or was it Spencer? Suddenly, he remembered that Spencer had been screaming in the dream – that was the reason for his terror.

His immediate reaction upon realizing this was to go find Spencer immediately and make sure she was okay. But then Toby realized just how stupid that sounded – it had been a _dream _after all. With everything A had put him and his friends through, night terrors and anxiety dreams were sort of expected. It wasn't as if he hadn't had scary dreams before – he had had his fair share of them over the last several years – but he'd never had a dream of this intensity. He'd never woken from a dream so worried about someone, or so disturbed.

The fear and worry still clung to him, even after he knew it had simply been a dream. All he could think about was Spencer. He couldn't shake off the lingering fear that she was out there somewhere, scared and helpless as she had been in his dream. And that fear refused to let Toby lie his head back down on the pillow and doze off.

Toby looked around his small loft bedroom. Little decorated it except a small writing desk near the large window. Pretty red lace curtains covered the window, a present from Spencer soon after he'd moved into the loft. He swung his legs to the floor and took a few hesitant steps toward the window, pulling back the curtain to gaze into the darkness of the night. The street below the loft was dim, the streetlights offering only a pale glow of visibility directly around them. Somehow, it felt eerie. Toby pulled back the curtains.

He turned to the desk and pulled open the top drawer. There was his small flip phone, and he quickly grasped it and flipped it open. According the cellphone, it was 2:43 AM – a ridiculous hour to expect to get through to someone on the phone. Still, he found Spencer on his small contact list and began to quickly compose a text message.

_Spencer – I had this weird dream and I just have to make sure you're OK. Text me back ASAP. –Toby._

He pressed send as soon as he'd finished typing, waiting impatiently until he heard the swooshing sound that meant the text had been sent. Now, all he had to do was wait for Spencer to reply.

Toby realized this was ridiculous – Spencer was most likely asleep by now. It would probably be a few hours before she woke, checked her phone, and replied to the message. He imagined her exasperation upon receiving the message. He could practically visualize the way her eyebrows would knot together in confusion when she realized Toby had freaked out about her over one silly dream. She would be a little amused though, and perhaps maybe a bit honored as she teased him. He could see the trace of a smile lighting up her face and the warmth of her voice as she chided him for being so overprotective of her.

It was only then, after imagining a conversation with her, that he realized how ridiculous he'd been. It was simply a nightmare – nothing more. Toby began to regret sending the text as he got back into bed and pulled the sheets over himself. That text sounded as if it was from a frightened child, not a grown man with the ability to separate reality from dreams. _Well, _he thought, _at least it'll be a good conversation topic tomorrow. _Not as if he needed a conversation topic when he was with Spencer – everything came naturally when he was with her. They didn't even need anything to talk about – he could just look into her warm brown eyes and feel at peace.

Gradually, Toby began to drift off, his fears temporarily pushed away. He kept his phone on his bedside table so he could receive Spencer's reply as soon as possible. The phone stayed silent for the entire night, and Toby slept soundly.

When he woke at six-thirty AM, he promptly went to take his morning shower before he went to start his construction job. The fear he'd had last night was all but forgotten, and Toby could concentrate only on the wonderful feeling of the hot water on his skin. After he'd finished showering, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy white towel around himself. He padded back into the bedroom and began to get dressed. Just as he was pulling the final article of clothing on – a red T-shirt – his phone made a buzzing sound.

He rushed over to pick it up, relief and embarrassment flooding through him as he prepared for Spencer's witty, and probably somewhat sarcastic reply. What he found instead on the screen was something entirely different – something that made his blood run cold. It was a message from A.

_Hey Toby. I have your precious little girlfriend with me. Want to get her back? Then you better do what I say. _


	2. Warnings

**A/N: Thanks everyone for the kind comments, favorites, and follows. It was your encouragement that made me decide to sit down and write another chapter so soon. This one is a bit longer, so enjoy, and let me know if you liked it. :)**

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__**2. Warnings**

_No. This can't be happening._

Toby stared at the text message for a long time, reading the words again and again as if somehow they would disappear and he would realize this was all some kind of joke. But he knew all too well that A was no joke – A meant business, and A always followed through with their threats. And A was unbelievably dangerous – he knew firsthand just how much devastation and destruction A could cause.

His mind was racing as he tried to formulate some sort of plan. He was sure a new text would arrive on his phone any minute, telling him more about what he had to do to keep Spencer safe. His hands shook, and he gripped the phone tighter in his palm.

Should he tell Spencer's friends? They would surely have some idea of what to do – after all, A had been blackmailing them for a long time now. With their help, maybe he could trick A into releasing his girlfriend – they knew how A operated, didn't they?

Specifically, he wanted Emily's advice. Apart from Spencer, she was his closest friend. She was the first of the four girls to ignore all the nasty rumors about him and see him for what he truly was. He knew he could trust her – she'd always been loyal and trustworthy. If he was going to figure all of this out, he needed someone to rely on.

He would go to Emily's house, he decided, and tell her everything he knew. Maybe the other girls would get involved – he expected Emily would tell them – but all that mattered now was Emily knowing. He pulled a light gray jacket over his T-shirt, grabbed the keys to his truck, and headed down the stairs of the loft.

He unlocked his truck once he made it outside, and quickly got in and twisted the keys in the ignition. The truck made a growling sound as it revved up, and Toby quickly clicked on his seatbelt and steered the car out of the lot.

As he sped down the perfectly clean and spotless Rosewood streets, Toby's heart was thumping loudly in his chest. All he could think about was Spencer – where she was, how terrified she must be, and who was keeping her hostage. Every second that he spent safe in his truck, he knew that somewhere out there Spencer was _not _safe. Not safe at all. And that scared him more than anything.

As he arrived on Emily's street, he hoped desperately that she would be home. It was 6:58, though – on a Tuesday – so it seemed likely that she would. She'd probably be getting ready for school by now. He parked the truck a few houses down from hers, and then quickly got out. He walked hurriedly down the street, then turned, and walked up the porch to Emily's front door.

He knocked, and almost immediately heard a "just a second!" from inside. The door opened seconds later, and Emily's mother, Pam Fields, appeared at the door. Her hair was up in a tight bun, and her lips were pursed expectantly.

"Toby," she said flatly after a moments pause. "Well this is unexpected."

Toby knew that Emily's mother didn't hold a particularly high opinion of him – she believed town gossip as if it were fact – but at this moment, none of that mattered the slightest to him. He gulped and took a breath.

"Is Emily home? I need to talk to her."

Pam's eyes narrowed. "You know school starts in a few minutes, don't you? Emily's getting ready now. Can't this wait until after school?"

Toby was about to make a sharp retort to this when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Toby?" came Emily's voice as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She rushed to the door. "Toby, what is it?"

She met Toby's eyes and saw the fear in them, and an understanding look passed through her eyes. She turned to her mother. "Mom, can I talk to Toby for a minute, alone?"

Her mother considered it for a moment before finally nodding curtly. "Five minutes," she said sternly, and then walked off into the kitchen, leaving Toby and Emily alone together at the front porch.

"Toby, what's going on?" said Emily again. Her deep brown eyes were wide with concern. Her hair was still dripping wet from her shower, and she shivered against a cold chill of wind that swept by.

"Can you come outside?" Toby asked softly.

She nodded, stepping forward onto the porch and closing the door behind herself. She crossed her arms over her chest against the cold morning air.

Toby took a deep breath. Just as he was about to open his mouth, his phone vibrated in his pocket. A wave of dread filled him.

"One sec," he told Emily as he pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open. It was a new text message.

_It seems like both you and Spencer love sharing my secrets. I suggest you break that nasty little habit before something happens to her. _

_-A_

Immediately, Toby swiveled around, his eyes scanning the quiet street. Someone – A – must have been watching him just then. A had been lurking here, on this quiet street just moments ago. Maybe A was still here now. His eyes darted through the trees on either side of the street wildly.

"Toby?"

He'd been so caught up in trying to spot A hiding in the bushes that he'd forgotten Emily was still there. She was looking at him worriedly, her eyebrows raised and her eyes even wider than they'd been before.

"Toby, that text…was it from A?"

Toby realized his hands were shaking violently. He tried to look Emily in the eyes, but he found that he couldn't. He couldn't do it. He couldn't look into those trusting eyes and deceive her. Spencer was _her _best friend, too. But at the same time, there was no way in hell he was going to tell her anymore, not after A's latest threat. He knew without a doubt that that psychopath would follow through and hurt Spencer – _kill _her, even – if he didn't do as he was told.

"I…I have to go," he said shakily, backing up from where Emily stood and turning away.

"Wait! Toby, you have to tell me what's going on!" Emily shouted from behind him. Toby couldn't look back at her. If he did, he knew he would say too much, and Spencer would pay the price. No matter what, he had to keep Spencer safe.

As he got into his truck and started up the engine again, his phone buzzed again - and he knew that it could only be from one person.


End file.
